Traveling platform.



W. M. SHERWOOD.

TRAVELING PLATFORM.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 12, 1909.

Patented June 21, 1910.

[Nl/ENTOR ewwool W. M. SHERWOOD.

TRAVELING PLATFORM.

APPLICATION FILED 001212, 1909.

Patented June 21, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET z.

WJTNESSES [Nl/ENTOR W, S herwcol ENTE s TRAVELING PLATFORM.

Application filed October 12, 1909.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented June 21, 1910.

Serial No. 522,236.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. SHER- wooD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alexandria, in the county of Douglas and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Traveling Platforms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in traveling latforms or similar devices and is primari y adapted to support excavating shovels, and the necessary operating machinery therefor and my object is to provide means whereby said platform may be moved forwardly or rearwardly.

A further object is to provide means whereby the course of travel of the platform may be readily changed or regulated and a still further object is to provide means for readily operating the stepping portions of the device and form brakes therefor when the platform is at rest.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this application, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the platform complete. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof, and, Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view througi the platform showing the position of the parts thereof in dotted lines, as when the platform is traveling.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 indicates the body of my improved platform, which may be constructed in the usual or any preferred manner and extended to any suitable size, each end of the body having a pair of rails 2 and 3 and 4 and 5, respectively, attached thereto, which rails may likewise be extended to any suitable length and dimensions.

Between each pair of rails and adjacent the ends thereof are auxiliary platforms 6 and 7 and 8 and 9, respectively, which platforms are pivotally attached at their longitudinal centers to cranks 10 and 11 and 12 and 13, respectively, and by rotatably mounting the shafts carrying said cranks, on the rails 2 and 3 and 4 and 5, it will be readily tached to shafts 22 and 23 and 24 and 25,

respectively, there being a pair of shafts at each end of the body and disposed parallel with the rails 2 and 3 and 4 and 5, respectively.

The shafts 23 and 25 are provided adjacent their lon itudinal centers with bevel gears 26 and 2 with which are adapted to mesh pinions 28 and 29 on the ends of driving shafts 30 and 31, which shafts are rotatably mounted on the body 1 and extend at right angles to the trend of the shafts 23 and 25, the meeting ends of said shaft-s 3() and 31 being mounted in a common bearing 32 positioned adjacent the longitudinal center of the body.

Any suitable means may be employed for applying power to the shafts 30 and 31, such as sprocket wheels 33 and 34, respectively and by applying powerfrom any suitable source to said wheels, the shafts 23 and 25 will be rotated.

The shafts 22 and 24 are driven in unison with the shafts 23 and 25 by extending a sprocket chain 35 around sprocket wheels 36 and 37 on the ends of the shafts 22 and 23, while a similar chain 38 is extended around sprocket wheels 39 and 40 on the ends of the shafts 24 and 25, thus applying uniform power at each end of the shafts to which the various cranks are attached and thus applying an equal strain at both ends of the crank shaft.

In operating the device, rotating power is applied to the shafts 30 and 31, which will result in swinging the cranks in the arc of a circle and thus bringing the auxiliary platform in engagement with the earths surface, the continued rotation of said shafts elevating the entire platform and parts mounted thereon and causing the same to swing forwardly or rearwardly when the cranks have moved to a position beyond the center of gravity, the continued rotation of said shafts resulting in moving the platform bodily by a stepping motion.

If desired, one of the shafts may remain idle and power be applied to the opposite shaft thus swinging the platform substantially in the arc of a circle or one of the shaftsl may be rotated in one direction and the other in the opposite direction, thereby turning the platform in a small space.

If preferred, one of said shafts may be rotated at a greater speed than the other, which will result in changing the course of the platform while traveling forwardly or rearwardly, thus providing means for guiding the path of the platform.

The platform is elevated at each revolution of the cranks and may be held in its elevated position by the worms and gears when the rotation of the shafts 30 and 31 is stopped and likewise said worms and gears will act as brakes to hold the cranks and auxiliary platforms in fixed position at such time as the rotation of the shafts 30 and 3l is stopped.

It will thus be seen that Il have provided i a convenient traveling platform which may be in various shapes and sizes. It will further be seen that the device may be readily moved from place to place and properly guided while being moved and further that a great weight may be placed upon the platform without retarding the action of the propelling mechanism.

What I claim is:

l. In a device of the class described, the combination with a body having rails thereon arranged in pairs, auxiliary platforms at the ends of said rails, cranks rotatably mounted on said rails and pivotally attached to said auxiliary platform, a gear at each end of each crank, worms engaging said gears, shafts carrying said worms and means to operate said shafts in unison whereby-the cranks will be rotated and the body and parts attached thereto propelled.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a body having rails on the ends thereof; of auxiliary platforms at the ends of said rails, cranks rotatably mounted on said rails and pivotally carrying said platforms, gears on the ends of said cranks, shafts extending the length of each rail and carrying worms on the ends thereof engaging said gears, additional shafts connecting the aforesaid shafts and means to cause said first mentioned shafts to rotate in unison. Y

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a body and longitudinal rails arranged in pairs on the ends thereof; of auxiliary platforms between the ends of said pairs of rails, cranks rotatably mounted on said rails and carrying said platforms, gears on the ends of said cranks, shafts extending the length of each rail and carrying worms engaging said gears, means to cause said shafts to rotate in unison, additional shafts connecting the inner pair of the aforesaid shafts, and means to apply power to said last mentioned shafts, for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VILLIAM M. SHERWOOD.

Witnesses:

J oHN T. FLANAGAN, CONSTANT LARsoN. 

